FanNation - The Republic of Sport

3 words ... hot American tail!

If you were a professional soccer player in Europe and you could, before the end of your career, play a few more years in a professional league where you could make top dollar and not live under a microscope - wouldn't you?

For example, in England paparazzi were climbing the walls of Beckham's house trying to get in and printing anything and everything about him to the point that Marca even called it ridiculous. Here? Beckham still makes a good living - even by his own standards - and because so many sportswriters and celebrity rags could give a crap about soccer, Beckham lives pretty well.

My guess is that part of the draw for some of the big name players in Europe might be the ability to live a better life here - publicly - while still doing what they like to do and making some money.

Or, it could be the "hot American tail."

I cannot wait till he lands in the US

That;s exactly right burgundy- Every time someone talks of coming here one of the things that get mentioned is that they can walk around and not be hounded by people. I don't think we understand the extent of media and fan frenzy over there. I was watching an Henry doc and he was literally followed by 100's everywhere he went. Wouldn't happen here. Doesn't happen to even our own stars. And on top of that, the early superstars to the MLS will make very good money.

Burgundy, that's exactly why he wants to come over. He doesn't want to be bothered, he wants to make ridiculous money, and he wants to make a difference and he will one day. And I can't wait for that day. If you thought Juan Pablo Angel is something of a scoring machine then just wait until Henry shows up.

I hope he comes to America and plays. It could possibly help America in soccer and get them better. Henry would also be making mad cash over here so why not?

Henry in MLS is a foregone conclusion. When and to what club is the question.

The club henry should go to is the CHICAGO FIRE!

don't expect a nice media/fan realtionship.he is extremley arrogant.a real egotist.he was a superb player and is still at a high standard.from a playing view point it would be great for the league.if the league is lookin for a public realtions exercise they should look elsewhere.

I think it would be a great move for MLS but a bad move for Henry, Old bones don;t do well on astroturf fields. Playing on grass keeps the boys in all the european leagues playing longer. Playing on a turf field here would hurt him in the long run, even if his long run is only 3 years.

Henry should go to Red Bulls. KLike it or not, still need big names in big markets. I think RB draws okay, but this would be better yet
And the turf has improved...a lot...I prefer natural grass also, but it isn't like the olde billiard table fields anymore

Some of you have raised the pertinant points that always come up when the "Older But Not Quite Done Star Coming to America" story appears (almost weekly, it seems). Lack of anything to prove; condescention to MLS (see Matthaus or J. Campos); artificial surfaces. I would add one more, mentioned less often-- playing all summer in Dallas, Houston, Washington, Los Angeles, etc., when the average club (not counting Toronto) plays about eight day games. How do the 35-year-olds manage on a 90-degree afternoon in Frisco? It makes what Pele accomplished on that green-painted parking lot in the Meadowlands years ago all the more remarkable.
By the way, with the rare, Beckham-sized exception, star-power seems to move the needle less on MLS attendance than a) an attractive park to play in, b) plenty of weekend dates-- Thursday nights haven't caught on yet, and c) winning football.

I remember a picture of the guys from Chelsea FC (Shevchenko, Ballack, Lampard) out in LA and New York a few years ago. No one bothered them or even knew who they were. They looked so relieved. They were just some random guys in a bar or department store shopping, and that is what it would be like for Henry. Who wouldn't want to come to America for a few years with their families and enjoy anonimity and all our country has to offer. It would be one long vacation!!!!

Sorry, just one more point-- MLS rosters were savaged last weekend when 24 CONCACAF members, large and small, played World Cup Qualifiers. This tells me that sufficient "foreign" talent to stock MLS is found on our own side of the planet. Euro Cup TV ratings are surprisingly good here (though this is really the first time most of the tournament has been widely available in English, making it an unknown quantity for the masses). But don't assume that interest in European football will translate into interest in European players who migrate here. History suggests it's hit-or-miss. This is still the nation that responded to players like Best and Cruyff with a big yawn.

Don't wait too long, Henry! Come to America while you still have something to give. MLS fans don't want to see you here when you're getting off the plane in a wheel chair!

First of all Spiny Norman, the red bulls are in second to last place in the Eastern Standings. Chicago Fire on the other hand is in 4th place. The Fire also has Blanco, who is a pretty well known player. So Henry would probably want to go to a team that has another well known player. This kind of reminds me of David Beckham and Landon Donovan. Landon Donovan is a well known player and has a lot of talent, kind of like Blanco.

smelly- lets be frank, Henry is not coming in the 09' season... depending on his form, he may not even show up in the 10' season.... Blanco, Renya, and even JPA will most likely be out of the league by then....... however, if he were to come in the 09' season, he'd be going to RBNJ (unfortunately)... theres nothing more id like then to see him suit up for the Fire, but quite frankly, with 1 DP slot (Blanco) and BMB bound for the windy-city, the Fire cannot produce a spot for Henry.... he'd require DP$$$ and quite frankly, im not willing to destroy the team to get a 2nd DP slot....

in other words, Henry will probably go to RBNJ... altho there was word that Seatle may try for him, but there is even BIGGER talk of them going after a big name Asian.... and with LA being out of the question, that truely just leaves NY....

I can see it too...in about 3 to 5 years.

BTW, I was not impressed with Henry's performance at the Euro Cup. He just couldn't do anything right.

France couldn't do anything right.